Gareth Bale and Luis Suarez drop in our reckoning, with injury and suspension respectively ruling the pair out of the weekend’s fixtures. Tottenham and Liverpool remain pivotal to our thinking, however, as we roll out our regular refresh of the next four to six Gameweeks…

Goalkeepers

The goalkeeping situation remains a problem. Despite conceding two in front of a back four that hardly inspired confidence, Wojciech Szczesny remains top of the pile with a fixture list that suggests an upturn in fortunes. With Arsene Wenger seemingly rotating across his backline, Szczesny also seems the most secure route to sealing any defensive returns that may come Arsenal’s way over the Christmas programme.

Alternatives to the Gunners keeper are limited for those shopping for a stopper. Injuries and uncertainty surrounding names like Ben Foster and Michel Vorm have denied them Watchlist status for now, although both should return imminently to change the complexion somewhat.

Fulham’s Mark Schwarzer does have four clean sheets to his name and holiday fixtures which suggest he could add to the tally and justify his price tag; there are perhaps better options in the Fulham back four, however.

This may well be a good time to consider a heavy-hitter in goal, particularly with Joe Hart offering security in the Man City back four that, aside from Vincent Kompany, appears to be lacking. Hart will surely figure in all of City’s Christmas matches and at 6.9, is cheaper than his skipper. Liverpool’s Pepe Reina is another consideration with fixtures and form falling nicely – options in front of him, notably Jose Enrique, limit his appeal, however.

Stoke’s Asmir Begovic takes a slight dip in our rankings as the fixture list begins to stiffen once again, although Stoke’s defensive form could be strong enough to ride that out and owners of the Potters stopper will likely be holding over the next month regardless.

Sunderland’s Simon Mignolet has the benefit of the double Gameweek this time around but is suffering with form and faces a run of opponents to follow that promises very little. His opposite number in the double, Reading’s Adam Federici, is arguably a stronger contender right now, with a price tag of just 4.3 in the FPL and fixtures that are at least comparable, if not better than the Sunderland man.

Tottenham’s Hugo Lloris is a real differential further down the rankings. His fixtures are strong, with home matches against Swansea, Stoke and Reading and obliging away trips sandwiched between that run. Again, there are options in front of him but Lloris now seems cemented as Andre Villas-Boas’ number one and is clearly a consideration for those willing to spend in this area. It must be said that, with William Gallas, Michael Dawson and Steven Caulker all competing for two centre-back roles, Lloris appears to offer the cheapest secure route to the Spurs backline at this moment in time.

Defenders

With Leighton Baines coming through the 1-1 draw at City last weekend, despite a hamstring scare, he returns to the top echelons of our Watchlist rankings but fails to topple Liverpool’s Jose Enrique. While the Spaniard was shifted to a left-back role in the win over Southampton, he showed enough attacking intent to suggest he could go on supplementing defensive returns with goals and assists in the coming weeks. Fixtures fall nicely in his favour and Brendan Rodgers’ back four are in strong form.

There’s a north London double in our top five with both Kieran Gibbs and Jan Vertonghen coming into consideration. Both look to be the most secure options in their respective back fours right now and, with fixtures in their favour, could be set to return handsomely over the next month if they can stay fit. Vertonghen has attacking returns in his locker, although so far he has been limited to just a single goal and assist. There may well be cheaper alternatives in the Spurs back four, but both Michael Dawson and Steven Caulker seem unable to cement a starting role – the Dawson situation, with a price tag of just 4.5, requires monitoring, though.

Reading’s Nicky Shorey and Swansea’s Ben Davies are the clear contenders for your budget dollar. Shorey is part of a Reading defence that is shipping goals but his attacking instincts are compensating for this and his constant stream of crosses and corners have paid off of late. Sean Morrison is another consideration, here, with Shorey just edging out the young centre-back in our reckoning. Davies has earned bonus rewards in his last two outings for the Swans, indication that he is lending his presence to their attacking forays and, with a price tag of just 4.0, he has enough to hold off the claims of team-mate Angel Rangel for our recommendation: both are strong options, however.

Sunderland’s Carlos Cuellar is clinging to a high ranking with his double fixture boosting his appeal – a sudden drop once Gameweek 16 is cleared looks inevitable, however, given his schedule. Fulham’s John Arne Riise offers cover of the Cottager’s obliging Christmas fixtures, with Aaron Hughes the more budget friendly alternative.

City’s Matija Nastasic and Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic are heavy-hitting options further up the price brackets. We’re now unsure on Nastasic’s status in the pecking order, having been rested for City’s draw with Everton. Ivanovic is more secure but part of a Chelsea lineup bereft of confidence but at least boosted by decent Christmas fixtures. His short-term appeal is dented by his blank in Gameweek 17, however.

United’s Rafael takes a real tumble this week having suffered a nightmare half-hour in the 4-3 victory at Reading. With poor form in the United backline and Phil Jones and Chris Smalling a clear threat to his starts over the busy programme, investment in Rafael looks a risk.

Villa’s Ciaran Clark is perhaps a likely differential. He gained the maximum bonus in the 1-1 draw at QPR last time out and has a renowned goal threat to offer; he’ll likely need to deliver some attacking returns to justify the outlay, however, with a testing Christmas period in front of him.

Midfielders

These rankings have been highly volatile in recent weeks and, with the injury suffered by Gareth Bale at Fulham, they are thrown into flux once again. Marouane Fellaini and Michu now sit in the top two spots as their form continues to be maintained while others struggle for consistency. Their price tags and advanced roles behind the striker look to assure them a constant stream of points and both have already proven to be able to deliver, regardless of opposition.

Below them, there are risks aplenty now that Bale has slipped in the reckoning. Liverpool’s Raheem Sterling remains in our thinking, despite an escalating price tag, simply because he is still offering value and coverage of Liverpool’s strong fixtures. For those who have resisted the charms of Luis Suarez, Sterling looks a ready-made solution over the Christmas.

Sunderland’s Stephane Sessegnon is boosted into our top five on the back of his double fixture that has him face both Chelsea and Reading at home this very Gameweek. His game has shown signs of improvement and, with a seemingly guaranteed four point return at the very least, he’s emerged as a strong candidate for the armband. Adam Johnson and Craig Gardner offer alternatives – you can read our “Scouting the Doubles” article on the Black Cats later this week for more on them.

Sessegnon’s rank also benefits in the short-term from Arsenal’s stuttering form that has seen both Santi Cazorla and Theo Walcott stall once again. The Gunners have superb fixtures in the next month which should help this pairing establish themselves in Fantasy lineups once more, although investment will be made with some caution, given the lack of confidence in Wenger’s camp.

Liverpool’s Steven Gerrard and City’s David Silva are your differentials. Gerrard looks set to enjoy a more advanced role now that Lucas is back and installed in the engine room: his monopoly of spot-kicks and share of deadballs add to his appeal and, with fixtures in his favour, we could be set to see a resurgence in Gerrard as a Fantasy asset. With a price tag of 9.3, however, he presents a risk and one that perhaps only those seeking a strong differential will explore.

Silva is perhaps a safer bet, although talk of hamstring problems and City’s ongoing struggle with scoring goals certainly dampens the short-term appeal. The Spaniard does look secure in Roberto Mancini’s lineup, however, something that we can’t quite say for his strikers, who continue to look prone to rest and rotation.

Adel Taarabt remains in our thinking – there was evidence against Villa that Harry Redknapp was intent on feeding the Moroccan playmaker and, while he’s failed to deliver in the past, there’s a chance that Taarabt could show profit once Redknapp gets his side over the hurdle of their first victory.

Forwards

Robin Van Persie remains on top of the forward rankings, despite being overshadowed by Wayne Rooney in the win at Reading. With a goal denied by the referee’s assistant, it was clear that Dutchman could easily have returned double figures in that match to keep pace with Rooney and our faith remains strong, if a little weakened by the possibility of a rest over the Christmas schedule.

Jermain Defoe is a big climber, aided by his superb form and the injury that has ruled team-mate Gareth Bale out of the weekend trip to Everton. Defoe offers cover of Tottenham’s attacking potential, despite the threat of Emmanuel Adebayor, who has now returned from suspension.

Luis Suarez takes a dip with his suspension this week but will surely climb back up to the top three once he returns, as his schedule continues to offer potential. Dimitar Berbatov’s fixture list is enough to keep him in our thinking, despite faltering form. The return of Bryan Ruiz from injury, possibly this weekend, could re-ignite the Bulgarian’s fortunes.

Rickie Lambert continues to look lively and has fixtures that promise further returns, despite the blank in Gameweek 17. He holds on as our budget striker option, helped by Harry Redknapp’s decision to drop Djibril Cisse to the bench for the stalemate with Villa and the ongoing rotation of Shane Long at West Brom.

Below this, there are an array of options, all of which offer possibilities that are somewhat dented by either form, fixtures or security of start.

Sunderland’s Steven Fletcher will surely drop from our thinking once his double fixture passes, while the City pairing of Sergio Aguero and Carlos Tevez are kept on the back burner by faltering form and uncertainty with rotation. Newcastle’s Demba Ba has a horrific schedule in front of him but could easily overcome that – a rest over the Christmas period could be on the cards, however.